Articles a, an and the

Noun markers

Standard English uses noun markers to help identify the nouns that follow.

The definite articles

The, is used with specific nouns use The with one or more than one specific thing: The newspaper, the soldiers.

Rule of article

To choose an appropriate article for a noun, you MUST first determine whether the noun is - Common or proper - Count or noncount - Singular or plural - Specific or general

The indefinite articles

a and an, are used with general nouns. a and an both means "one" or "one among many" A is use before a consonant sound An is used before a vowel sound

Quantifiers

all, any, either, every, few, many, more, most, much, neither, several, some, and so on. Also known as noun markers or determiners

Articles a, an, the

are part of a category of words known as noun markers or determiners

Possessive pronoun/adjectives

my, your, his, her, its, our, their. Also known as noun markers or determiners

Other example of noun markers

numbers: one, twenty-three and so on.

Demonstrative pronoun/adjectives

this, that, these, those. Also known as noun markers or determiners

Rule of "THE"

(1) The noun has been previously mentioned A truck cut in front of our van. When THE truck skidded a few seconds later, we almost crashed into it.

Rule of "THE"

(2) A phrase or clause following the noun restricts its identity Bryce warned me that ⌃the GPS in his car was not working

Rule of "THE"

(3) A superlative adjective such as best or most intelligent makes the noun's identity specific Our petite daughter dated ⌃ the tallest boy in her class

Rule of "THE"

(4) The noun describes a unique person, or thing During an eclipse, one should not look directly at ^ the sun.

Rule of "The"

(5) the context or situation makes the noun's identity clear Please don't slam ^the door when you leave

Rule of "the"

(6) The noun is singular and refers to a scientific class or category of items (most often animals, musical instruments, and inventions) ^the tin whistle is common in traditional Irish music

Types of articles

Articles are classified as indefinite or definite.

Avoiding rule about noun markers

In most cases, do not use an article with another noun marker The Nathalie's older brother lives in Wisconsin ❌

Noun markers' examples

Possessive nouns, such as Elena's